Welcome to a one-of-a-kind writing retreat, led by award-winning authors Afua Hirsch and Yomi Sode. This is time set apart from everything else – to rest, to reconnect, and to finally put words on the page.
Each morning, Afua and Yomi guide you in small groups through the craft of fiction and non-fiction, and the framework of publishing, while Mallence leads embodiment practices that reconnect you to your inner voice. Afternoons open into wellness, nature and imagination.
Grant yourself the silence to let your mind wander into uncharted territory – and the space, at last, to write your own story.
Award-winning authors hosting you in the Balinese rainforest, with daily small-group workshops on the craft of writing.
Bestselling author of four published books, including Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging (winner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize), Equal To Everything, Empire: Look Again, and Decolonising My Body. A journalist of 30 years’ experience, former senior Guardian correspondent, Sky News anchor and associate editor at British Vogue.
Award-winning Nigerian-British writer whose work spans poetry, theatre, libretto, and now fiction. His debut poetry collection Manorism (Penguin, 2022) was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Rathbones Folio Prize. His debut novel The Interpreter has been acquired by Viking and is currently in redrafting.
Sierra Leonean–German activist, philanthropist and multifaceted social entrepreneur. Founder of LINEAGE – the cultural space and tea room visited in Ubud – and the Freetown Innovation Lab. Her TEDx talk Change Your Channel has been translated into more than five languages and shared over 100 million times.
Afua Hirsch is a bestselling author of four published books, including Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging (2018) winner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize, Equal To Everything (2019), Empire: Look Again (2022), and Decolonising My Body (2025). She is a journalist of 30 years’ experience, a former senior correspondent and long-time contributor to The Guardian newspaper, an anchor at global TV network Sky News, associate editor at British Vogue, and contributor to publications including the New York Times, Time Magazine, US Vogue and National Geographic. She is also an experienced filmmaker, and founded the production company Born In Me.
Afua has extensive experience teaching non-fiction writing, and is a full professor at the University of Southern California. Her fifth book The West will be published with Penguin in 2027. Afua will teach the art of non-fiction writing, from each stage of conception, to planning, structuring, researching and crafting a book, as well as creating relationships with agents, publishers and publishing entrepreneurs to turn a book from an idea into a successfully published work.
Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian British writer whose work spans poetry, theatre, libretto, and now fiction. His debut poetry collection Manorism (Penguin, 2022) was shortlisted for both the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Rathbones Folio Prize, and his play and breathe… premiered at the Almeida Theatre to sold-out audiences, winning four Black British Theatre Awards. A recipient of the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship, Yomi has collaborated with the BBC and Chineke! Orchestra among many others. Yomi has been facilitating for almost 20 years, developing various writing programmes and is currently leading the fifth year of INWRDS with the V&A. In 2025 he was shortlisted for the Malorie Blackman Impact Award.
Now turning his craft to long-form fiction, Yomi’s debut novel The Interpreter has been acquired by Viking and is currently moving through the redrafting and editing process. At this retreat, he’ll offer an honest and practical deep dive into what that journey can look like, covering story definition, character building, plot and subplot, world-building, and the working relationships between author, agent, editor, and publisher.
Mallence Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-German activist, philanthropist and social entrepreneur who works across a range of disciplines. Trained in economics and finance, she studied in Paris, Singapore and Great Britain, and now works globally – teaching at universities and online while running Lineage, a thriving cultural space in Bali, alongside the Freetown Innovation Lab, Sierra Leone’s foremost waste management and innovation hub.
Drawing on her mixed heritage, Mallence acts as a bridge between communities and cultures, using that perspective to design fresh solutions to shared problems. Her initiative Folorunsho has moved street children out of homelessness and into creative work without relying on donations, while her TEDx talk, Change Your Channel, has been translated into more than five languages and shared over 100 million times. Among the ventures she has founded are Ethical Minerals, the Female Innovation Lab and Plasmo, each empowering remote communities through green energy, sustainability and gender equity. Guided by her belief that world peace starts in the womb, her work with Secret Ceres has brought balance to thousands of women around the world.
From the workshops and accommodation to meals, transfers and the festival pass.
In single or shared rooms at the Eco Lodge in Batukaru. Return airport transfers from Denpasar included.
Daily, small-group workshops on the craft of writing.
An acclaimed literary event attracting some of the most sought after writers in the world.
Nutritious, high vibrational, volcanic permaculture farm-to-table cooking at the lodge.
Sunrise meditations, opportunities for wellness, nature and imagination during the afternoon.
Cultural immersion into the Balinese tradition with a Malukat purification ceremony at the Holy Water temple, a tea ceremony at Lineage Library & Tea room, and a sound healing session at the Pyramids of Chi.
Experience peace, community, and imagination in a space that whispers ancient myths of forests and dragons, as it calls you to write your own story.
During the first 5 days of the Writers' Portal we retreat to an eco-lodge on fertile volcanic soil, in the mountains of Bali, surrounded by rainforest, sacred rivers and private waterfalls. Mount Batukaru is an inactive volcano, revered by locals as the island's guardian from the west - a powerful energetic vortex that is anchored by the 11th-century Pura Luhur Batukaru, a water temple embedded deep in the mountain's sacred energy field.
The final 5 days of the retreat will take place in Ubud, where we attend the Ubud Writers & Readers' Festival, an acclaimed literary event attracting some of the most sought after writers in the world. There you will have the opportunity to meet acclaimed writers from around the world, network, attend lectures and workshops.
Three luxury room types across six bungalows. Choose what suits – private, single or shared.
These prices include writing and wellness workshops, meals and activities, and special guest sessions.
A handcrafted bungalow on single occupancy, or for two sharing.
From £3,999$5,280 per person based on two sharing
2 available
4 available
One of six handcrafted bungalows at Sarinbuana Eco Lodge – woven bamboo and local timber throughout, set privately among tropical gardens with mountain and jungle views. Take it on single occupancy, or share with one other guest.
Mountain-spring water, permaculture farm-to-table meals, and the lodge's treetop yoga shala, natural pool, wood sauna and private waterfall are all a short barefoot walk away.
These prices include writing and wellness workshops, meals and activities, and special guest sessions.
A private single room for one – handcrafted in bamboo and local timber, with garden or mountain views. Your own quiet base for the ten days, a few steps from the shala, the natural pool and the dining pavilion.
These prices include writing and wellness workshops, meals and activities, and special guest sessions.
A twin room shared with one other retreat guest: two beds, handcrafted interiors and jungle views. A sociable, great-value way to join the retreat – with the same access to the lodge's pool, sauna, waterfall and farm-to-table kitchen.
These prices include writing and wellness workshops, meals and activities, and special guest sessions.
Sunrise yoga in the treetop jungle shala, permaculture farm-to-table breakfast at the lodge, then a small-group workshop on the craft of writing with Afua, Yomi or Mallence.
Afternoon workshop with Mallence and opportunities for a Balinese massage, the natural pool, a nature walk through the rainforest, the waterfall and wood sauna, or simply time and space to write.
Daily dinners that nourish the body and the soul, during inspirational fireside chats with your hosts.
Hike up Mount Batur to write atop a volcanic mountain as your imagination expands into the heavens. Marvel at the sunrise as the clouds grace your feet, while you enjoy a hearty breakfast cooked by volcanic fire. This one of a kind experience that will take your breath away. Regenerate your body in the mineral rich thermal hot springs at the foot of the mountain, as your mind traverses the next chapters of your book.
Woven into the rhythm: Malukat purification ceremony at the Holy Water Temple, sound healing at the Pyramids of Chi, a tea ceremony at Lineage Tea Room Library, and your 5-day pass to the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival.
A few things you might want to know before booking.
Our workshops cover non-fiction, fiction and poetry. We take an intuitive and creative approach to writing that welcomes traditional genres as well as the blending of different styles, in service of the most powerful and compelling storytelling.
We require a 25% deposit upon booking to reserve your spot. We're also offering the option to pay in instalments. Full payment is due by 31st August 2026.
Airport transfers – or transfers to the retreat – will be provided.
Solo travellers are welcome. Wellness is central to this retreat, and while travelling with a friend or companion promises to be fun, likeminded creatives and fellow travellers await you if you come alone.
We believe a high-vibrational diet is a prerequisite for an active, creative mind. We offer wholesome, organic meals, lovingly made from farm-to-table ingredients harvested from mineral-rich soil at the foot of the volcano and dense in nutrients. Vegan options are available throughout. Please let us know at the earliest opportunity of any additional dietary needs.
Travel insurance is highly recommended, at your own discretion.
The 25% deposit is non-refundable. The remaining balance is refundable up until 31st August. Travel insurance is highly recommended, at your own discretion.
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